The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) wants people’s views on an application to release two biological control agents to combat Darwin’s barberry, an invasive shrub.

Environment Canterbury has applied to introduce Darwin’s barberry flower weevil (Anthonomus kuscheli) and Darwin’s barberry rust fungus (Puccinia berberidis-darwinii) to target this unwanted shrub. If approved, these agents could also be used to target Darwin’s barberry elsewhere in New Zealand.

All organisms new to this country must receive approval from the EPA as the national environmental regulator.

Darwin’s barberry is a resilient noxious weed found in disturbed forests, pastures, shrubland and short tussock-land. It is a threat to indigenous ecosystems throughout the country, as well as to pastures where livestock graze.

It is native to Chile and Argentina and was introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand as a garden plant in the 1940s. Fruit-eating birds deposit seeds far from the parent bush, increasing its spread.

The plant can be found throughout New Zealand – particularly in the Canterbury, Otago, and Wellington regions.

Both the flower weevil and the rust fungus proposed for introduction are native to South America.

Dr Chris Hill, the EPA’s General Manager of Hazardous Substances and New Organisms, says the applicant’s risk assessment demonstrates these organisms are highly unlikely to harm native plants or animals.

“The weevil doesn’t bite or sting, so there is no health risk to people. The rust fungus is similarly benign,” says Dr Hill.

“New Zealand has a track record of using biological control agents to reduce the environmental impact of invasive plants, with little to no adverse impact on the native ecology.”

The consultation enables people in relevant industries, iwi and the public to provide additional information on the risks and benefits of introducing organisms to control the spread of Darwin’s barberry.

“We really want to encourage anyone with an interest in combatting this weed, and the methods proposed to do so, to make a submission. Good decision-making on this proposal will be underpinned, in part, by diverse and considered feedback,” says Dr Hill.

Submitters can provide information, make comments, and raise issues to contribute to the EPA decision-making process.

Submissions close on 22 April.

Read more about this application, and how to submit, here:

Application for two biocontrols to combat the weed Darwin’s barberry

Source: Environmental Protection Authority

• Picture credit: Natalia Reyes Escobar